Assess my routine -- beginner trying to build a foundation and gain weight

[animator911]

Greetings,

43-year-old male, 5'9", 140lb. Never held to any consistent workout routine.

Really appreciate any feedback!

Goals:

1. First: Build a foundation of strength and reverse lifelong habit of compensating physical demands with the wrong muscle groups (e.g. using shoulders instead of chest/biceps, avoiding any kind of back/delt-like exercises, never doing any glutes/hamstrings work)
2. Medium Term Milestone: weigh 155 lb.
3. Eventually: large strength increase and using free weights

Routine:

• Push Day

1. LifeFitness Cable Functional Machine: Lateral Machine Raise
2. LifeFitness Cable Functional Machine: Downard Pec Fly
3. LifeFitness Cable Functional Machine: Lower Back
4. LifeFitness Cable Functional Machine: V-Triceps Extension
5. Hammer Strength Seated Dip
6. Multi-functional Cable Machine: Rope Push Down (triceps)
7. Hammer Strength Shoulder Press
8. Hammer Strength Bench Press
9. Hammer Strength Incline Press
10. Hammer Strength Decline Press
    

• Pull Day

1. Hammer Strength Front Lat Pulldown
2. Hammer Strength Wide Pulldown
3. T-Bar Row
4. Hammer Strength Row
5. Hammer Strength Low Row
6. Barbell: Standing Curl (wide curved grip)
7. Multi-functional Cable Machine: Rope Hammer Curl
8. Dumbells: Zottman Curl
9. Hammer Strength Standing Shrug
10. Hammer Strength High Pull
    

• Leg Day

1. Hammer Strength Leg Curl
2. Hammer Strength Kneeling Leg Curl
3. Hammer Strength Leg Extension
4. Hammer Strength Seated Calf
5. Hammer Strength V-Squat
6. Hammer Strength Linear Hack Squat OR Hammer Strength Leg Press (haven't decided which I like better)
7. Nautilus Glute Drive
8. Tank - push and pull
9. Cable Machine: Hip Adduction
10. Cable Machine: Hip Abduction

• Notes:
  • Warmup: Start with 5 minutes light cycling on stationary bike. do circles with shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, ankles. leg swings side to side and foward to back.
  • Timing: consistently worked out for last 3 months, 3 times per week with 1-2 days break in between.
  • Changes: first few weeks mostly used Cable Machines but now have switched to mostly Hammer Strength machines
  • Nutrition: eat a bowl of cereal and banana before; additionally, 3 reasonably well balanced meals per day, and sometimes protein shake after work-out
  • Sets/Reps/Weight: 3 sets of 8 reps, recently increasing to 10 reps. Ranging from 60-115 lbs. Often but not always increasing 5-10 lbs per week.
  • Abdominal: I try, but am inconsistent, about adding 1-2 ab exercises to each workout above. For example: Russian twists, decline crunches, hanging knee raises, hanging leg raises, decline mountain climbers, reverse crunches

 

[dawn16]

@animator911 Looks fine if your down for it. I would put my pressing exercises like bench press on push day first. I would nix the shoulder press and one of the rows. Put a kneeling curl on one leg day and the other leg curl on another leg day. Same with vhack squat and linear hack squat. Put those on seperate days instead of doing both on one day.

The whole point of PPL is to be able to hit the groups effectively and better than an upper lower or modified split while also giving them 72 hours for recovery and growth instead of 48.

Here is my personal PPL. Check it out just as an example : https://alphaprogression.com/en/1Eo4pY

Really some that are 3 could be 2-3 to optimize it but I just really like doing them that much. Also could use some bottom fore arm work or maybe switch out either kneeling cable or decline for either reverse crunch or dragon flag.

 

[dawn16]

@animator911 10 exercises a day is a lot, but if it's working for you, I do not see why to change anything. When I tried using machines I could not progress in weight. Perhaps this was because I was giant setting everything instead of using normal rests, or perhaps I wasn't pushing myself. I'm happy to see you are making progress with machines!

Also, personally I think hanging leg raises are pretty advanced, and if you cannot do many reps of those, perhaps doing leg levers on the floor would be better? Regardless, I think you have a good, if somewhat idiosyncratic routine.

 

[animator911]

@dawn16 Thank you. Why a lot? Because can't focus on so many?

Giant setting?

Thanks for idea of leg lever.

 

[dawn16]

@animator911 It's when you do each exercise one after another. Supersetting is when you do it with only 2 exercises, and is pretty advanced imo (was loved by Arnie though).

Generally beginners get exhausted after only 3-5 exercises, with more advanced guys seeing diminishing returns after about 7.

But again, if it's working for you I say keep it up!

 

[dch]

@animator911 Too many exercises. Follow a proper program.

https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/ here are some popular programs you can check out

 

[animator911]

@dch Thanks for replying. Why too many? What is consequence of too manym

 

[dch]

@animator911 Waste of time, harder to track progress

 

[3penntony]

@animator911 Ok bro I'm 40 and been working out maybe a year 6ft 71kg after years of drinking heavily cigarettes drugs all the bs.
Diet always been pretty good though

Now I think way to many exercises

But if it works for you cool I'm not critiquing its opinion.

You every thought of just going basic like pushups dips pullups
lunges squats
Add weight if you want.

The bases like the roots then you can branch out if you want to.

Again if that program works for you cool.
I'm just more the basic mechanics guy
With sled drag and push to help my skinny legs

 

[addelheid]

@animator911 Shoot me a message i might be able to help you